Executive Assistant (Intern) at British Council

⏲ Jul 30, 2024, 8:33 AM
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The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We create friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries. We do this by making a positive contribution to the UK and the countries we work with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust.

We work with over 100 countries across the world in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Each year we reach over 20 million people face-to-face and more than 500 million people online, via broadcasts and publications. Founded in 1934, we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Executive Assistant (Intern)

Location: Lagos, Nigeria
Contract Duration: 1 year

Background/Role Purpose

The British Council would like to offer students / graduates an experiential learning opportunity to gain real world experience through an internship programme.
The practical experience an intern gains is expected to complement the theoretical knowledge he/she has gained during their studies.
The intern is expected to both learn from and contribute to the workplace during the internship period, in turn providing an opportunity to increase employability skills.
An outcome being that students and graduates are more employable and successful because of the skills they acquire.

Role Context

The British Council in Nigeria works in three strategic business areas; Arts and Culture; English; Education. We are looking to recruit an intern to join our Business Support Services (“BSS”) Unit.
The intern will be based in Lagos and will provide operational & administrative support primarily to the General Counsel & Company Secretary (who is a member of the Nigeria Senior Leadership Team).
The intern will also be required to support with Support Leadership Team projects and initiatives, working under the supervision of the General Counsel & Company Secretary.

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the overall guidance of the General Counsel & Company Secretary (who is a member of the Senior Leadership Team), the intern duties will include:

Providing support to the General Counsel & Company Secretary to facilitate the effective discharge of the office’s responsibilities including transcribing and proofreading legal documents.
Assisting the General Counsel & Company Secretary with maintaining and updating the SharePoint site for the legal unit and the Senior Leadership Team (the SharePoint site is an e-platform for the storage, organisation, sharing of information)
Assisting with Senior Leadership Team project and programme implementation and providing updates to SLT as required for effective monitoring purposes. For example, organising internal meetings and workshops including logistics planning as delegated by the General Counsel & Company Secretary.
Scheduling meetings as will be directed by the General Counsel & Company Secretary.

Attending to selected high level visitors to the country directorate, providing advice and support to teams on processes and priorities:

Responding to emails and letters on requests for British Council engagement, sponsorship, partnerships, attendance at events and meetings. Managing correspondence in this regard.

Learning and development opportunities for the intern:

General understanding of the work and mission of the British Council (and international, not-for-profit organisation) and how it contributes to the development of the Nigeria’s prosperity and stability.
Insight and hands-on experience in legal, operational, and administrative functions, programme management and stakeholder management in a formal setting.
Becoming familiar with working in an International Organisation and in a multicultural environment

Profile
Essential: The ideal candidate should:

Be a recent graduate (graduated within the last 3 years) with excellent organisational skills and the ability to multitask.
Have good organisation, time management and scheduling skills.
Be confident in communicating with senior stakeholders.
Have strong written and oral communication skills in English.
Be computer literate with proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office Suite

Desirable:

Proven work experience as a Legal Assistant, a Personal Assistant, an Office Administrator, or an Executive Assistant.
An interest in international relations.
Project management skills
A legal background (for example, a degree in Law) or an interest in legal work even if you do not have a legal degree. Note – this is not a requirement and applicants without a legal background will be considered.

Management and Support for the role:

The intern will report to the General Counsel & Company Secretary based in Lagos. S/he will also be expected to support projects and initiatives on behalf of the Nigeria Country Leadership Team (SLT) under the supervision of the General Counsel & Company Secretary.

Qualifications